Zac awoke to the sound of laughter. Somehow he managed to pry his eyes open, and....
"Where the heck am I??" he wondered in confusion. He sat up and started to look around, when he spotted his luggage sitting in a heap on the floor. "Oh, yeah!" he recalled. "I'm in a little hicktown out in the boonies.... uh, what's it called again? Linesville, that's it!" He hopped out of bed and took in his surroundings for the first time. The old farmhouse hadn't been too severely modernized, but the room was actually quite nice. He had been sleeping on an almost antique double bed, covered with a light blue spread. The carpet was a plush navy blue, and the walls were also sponged navy blue. Scattered around the room was the bed's matching bedroom set. "Not bad. And my color, too!" Zac commented to himself. He changed into bluejeans and a black adidas shirt. He giggled softly. "Man, I'm gonna miss Tay's clothes!" He burst through the door, down the stairs, and into the kitchen, where Charlotte and Joshua were talking over a cup of coffee. Oh, how quaint, Zac thought. This is how I've always pictured country life being! I didn't think I'd actually be right! Aloud he said, "Good morning Aunt Charlotte! Mornin' Uncle Joshua!"
"Good morning, Zac!" they responded together.
"My, you seem awfully chipper this morning, Hun," Charlotte observed. "Somehow from what Diana said I thought you would be more... cautious," she said a little guardedly.
He simply laughed. "You mean hostile?" he suggested. "No, you're too nice!"
She smiled, looking flattered. "Thank you. Would you like some breakfast?"
Before he could respond, Jake wandered into the room. "Yes, please, mom. So nice of you to offer," he said through a yawn. He flashed a sweet smile when he saw the look on her face.
"Don't be rude Jakob," she warned.
"What, isn't he allowed to eat?" Zac joked.
"No, I'm not allowed a bite of food until I've done my slave work," Jake played along. "I might get to eat by sundown if I'm lucky!" He winked at Zac.
Charlotte just rolled her eyes and smiled. "It's just cereal this morning, boys. There's plenty of it, so take your pick."
They ate quickly (as guys have a tendency to do), Then Jake turned to Zac. "You want me to show you around, uh... town, if I may refer to it by that name for a moment?"
Zac laughed. "Cool. Are you sure there's anything to show me?"
He thought for a second. "Okay, I got it. I can call some people, and we can all get together and go do whatever wherever." Sensing Zac's hesitation he assured him, "Don't worry, some of these country people are so laid back and friendly it's almost scary..." He paused for only a moment before continuing, "Like you."
"And these country people are, of course, the ones I'm gonna meet?" Zac prompted.
Jake shrugged. "Depends which ones I can get a hold of."
"Oh, you're reassuring!" he said sarcastically, but couldn't help smiling.
His cousin simply laughed and began to vocally go through his group of friends. "Um... Let's see. Trisha, Tracey, and Jerry are in Ocean City; Ben said today is he and Ann's 6 month anniversary; Randy and Ashlee are both grounded - well, I guess I can start with Eli and Joel."
With that, he began making phone calls. Eli and Joel were bored out of their minds and agreed to hang with the two. After them, Jake called Stephanie and Faith. They were both available as well. Andrea agreed to go, having nothing better to do. Neither Emily nor Aaron was home, and Jake guessed that they were probably somewhere together. Kim and Sarah had little brothers to babysit and couldn't go. Last Jake called his neighbors, Kristin and Andi. Kristin answered the phone and told him she could go, but Andi was working her horses, so she wasn't sure if she could be done in time.
Shortly, Zac and Jakob had arranged to meet Eli, Joel, Faith, Steph, and Andrea at the Dairy Isle in half an hour, and to give Kristin (and Andi, if she was free) a lift.
"So, in the meantime, what are we going to do?" Zac inquired.
"We-ell," Jake began, "I could show you around the farm. We've got cows, chickens, and cats," he informed him.
Zac shot him a weird look. "I prefer cats over cows and chickens, thank-you-very-much," he declared.
Jake shook his head. "City boy."
They walked out to the chicken house first, which Zac actually found quite amusing, having never seen a live chicken before. Then they headed for the barn, with Jake introducing Zac to several cats on the way to the cows. Zac took an immediate liking to one in particular that Jake called "Itty".
"Where'd you get the name 'Itty' from?" Zac asked.
Jake laughed. "It's full name is actually Itty Bitty Kitty, but Itty is much easier. She's a runt, in case you couldn't tell. Cute, isn't she? She and her three siblings weren't born that long ago, so she hasn't reached her full size, but she's always gonna be smaller than the other cats."
Smiling, Zac reached down and picked the kitten up, cradling it in his arms. It's tiny meow as it gazed up at his unfamiliar face only caused his smile to broaden. He cautiously moved one hand to stroke it's head gently.
Jake raised his eyebrows. "Hmm... I think City-boy here has got a slight weakness for small, adorable creatures."
They continued through the barn, with Zac keeping one eye on the kitten who was now curled up in a ball and purring contentedly.
Before they could turn the corner into the cow-barn, they heard barking coming from just outside the barn. Zac felt the kitten tense up, and as the barks got closer, claws dug into his arm. He winced. "Ow. Ow ow ow."
Jake looked over at him to see what was wrong and remembered the cat. "Oh, not good!" he muttered. He immediately ran to the door to head off the little dog whose shadow now darkened the barn door. "Sparky! What are you doing here??" he cried, and was clobbered by the little character. He laughed aloud as the dog began licking his face in an excited greeting. His barks got high and squeaky with happiness. Zac laughed too, in spite of the little claws embedded in his arm.
At that point, a tall girl ran into the barn and removed the dog from Jake. "Sparky! You retard!" she cried, causing Jakob to laugh even harder.
"What is your dog doing here?" he demanded.
She shot him a withering look. "Jakob, do I know? Is there a reason for anything my dog does? Because if you know, please tell me; I have yet to figure it out!" She looked down at him, still laying on the floor where Sparky had tackled him. "Are you alright?"
He nodded, sitting up, then looked over his shoulder at Zac. "I'm fine, but I think Zac got a few kitten claws in him."
Her hand flew to her mouth. "Oh my gosh!" she gasped. She handed Sparky to Jakob. "Can you tie him up?" she requested.
He nodded and walked out the door carrying the dog.
The girl walked over to Zac. The first thing he noticed was dark purple streaks of hair framing her face. "Oh my gosh, I'm sooooo sorry!" she apologized. "Are you alright? I'm really sorry about my dog, she's totally retarded." She was talking so fast Zac could hardly tell what she was saying, but he immediately took a liking to her. She looked so sincerely apologetic that he couldn't help smiling.
"I think it'll be okay," he responded. "If I can detach the cat." He offered another weak smile.
"Oh, maybe I can help you with that," she said. She calmed Itty down enough to get her claws out of him, and sat the kitten gently down on the floor. The animal wandered off, as calm as ever.
Zac was not quite as fine. The girl took his arm in her hands. "Ooh, that's bad," she commented when she saw the blood. She looked back up at his face. "You better get that cleaned, or it could get infected."
He grinned. "You sound like my mom," he informed her.
"Perhaps," was her simple response as she smilingly guided him toward the house.